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window she could tell by the animated
gestures of Hannah’s arms that she wasn’t happy with Liam over something.
    Poor
guy would probably need a friend when he got back inside.

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    “You
know I don’t like him shifting if Bear’s not around to supervise,” said Hannah.
    “And
you know that I wouldn’t let anything happen to him. He’s as much my blood as
he is yours.”
    Humans. Damn
them all.
    “Would
you phone and ask if it’s okay to let him shift, next time you want to do this
sort of thing?”
    He’d
have to ask a human for permission to do something that was second nature to a
bear shifter? In your dreams.
    “Look,
if you must know … I saw signs that his brain was getting fragmented again.”
    He
didn’t want to tell her about it just in case she worried, but she’d left him
no other choice.
    She
didn’t respond. Yeah, that had gotten her attention.
    “He
was getting overly organized again, moving stuff on the table, and he said he
felt strange.”
    “But
he was okay after the run?” asked Hannah.
    “He
was perfect after the run. He’s really got some speed to him.”
    “Yeah,
that’s what Bear said when they ran last week.”
    Liam
took a deep breath. He couldn’t help but feel some sort of resentment that Bear
was getting to do things with him, and Liam wasn’t. He liked Bear and thought
he’d make a great stepfather, but still, bitterness existed.
    “I
should be getting home because Sam needs to get to bed,” said Hannah.
    “Thanks
for dropping him off. I really love the time I get to spend with him.”
    “By
the way, I like your new friend. I think she’s good for you. I mean when I
spoke to you earlier, when she was standing there, you seemed less defensive.”
    Had
it been that obvious that Lucy somehow made him feel less threatened by the
world around him? Strange that Hannah had noticed it too.
    “And
you don’t have a date for the wedding, right?” asked Hannah.
    Was
she rubbing salt in his injury that he had no one in his life, and he’d be
going solo to a wedding, of all things? How embarrassing was that for someone?
    “No,
I don’t.” Had that come out like the way the defensive Liam would have said it?
    “Well,
you do now. I asked Lucy for you.”
    And
she’d accused him of stepping over
the line by shifting and running with Sam?
    He
was just about to open his mouth and give her his usual rant when he realized
she’d done him a huge favor. Not so much because he wouldn’t be going to the
wedding all by his lonesome, but he never would have thought to ask Lucy, and
not just because she was human. What would a pretty girl like her want with Mr.
Grumpy Bear?
    “Really?”
he asked, playing coy and pretending he was a little pissed that she’d stuck
her nose in where it didn’t belong.
    “Yep,
so that’s all set … and you’ll have to bring her along to the rehearsal dinner
too.”
    “Are
you my social secretary all of a sudden?” said Liam. He’d have to keep this act
up or she might think she’d finally gotten the better of him.
    “You
know I could tell the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you that
there’s some chemistry between the two of you. So don’t go blowing it, okay? I
think a human mate is just what you need.”
    A human mate? Really?
    “And
don’t forget Bear’s bachelor party. I don’t know if I can trust his cousin to
keep things from getting out of hand, but I’m asking you, Aiden and Christopher
to keep the evening sane and sensible. I won’t be bailing anyone out if any of
the partygoers gets arrested, okay?”
    Sam
knocked on the car window.
    “Okay,
honey, we’re heading home.” She turned back to Liam. “I have to go, but
remember all I’ve said.”
    The
only bit he would remember was the piece about Lucy looking at him in a certain
way. He waved goodbye as Hannah sounded the car horn and then walked back
inside to find Lucy watching TV.
    “Everything
okay?” she asked. “Sam’s